According Rashid Kidwai’s book on Sonia Gandhi, the age of Rajiv Gandhi was 23 when he married Sonia Maino, 21. On the day of wedding Rajiv Gandhi wore a cream silk Patiala achkan and chooridars with a pink Bharatpuri turban while Sonia Maino wore a pale pink khadi sari without much jewellery.
Book also claims that there was only light refreshment at the wedding. However, in the evening there was a lavish dinner at the Hyderabad House. A day later, Indira Gandhi also hosted a reception at the Ashok Hotel where Parsi, Kashmiri and Italian dishes were served.
News published in the newspaper next day of the marriage is
Rajiv weds Sonia Maino
New Delhi, Feb. 25 (PTI) Mr Rajiv Gandhi, son of Mrs Indira Gandhi, married Sonia Mario, 21-year-old Italian girl, whom he met at Cambridge two years ago at a glittering ceremony here this evening.
The ceremony held at the tastefully decorated lush green lawns of the Prime Minister’s residence lasted a little over 30 minutes.
Admidst chanting of Vedic hymns and plaintive notes of “shenai” the couple garlanded each other with jasmine and roses, signed the registrar’s book in the presence of the Deputu Commissioner, Mr BN Tandon and exchanged rings, before being declared man and wife.
Only members of the Nehru family, relatives of the late Feroze Gandhi and the bride’s family which arrived here last week, and a few close friends were present.
The bride draped in a salmon pink “zarigota” saree and decked in flowers instead of jewellellery in the Kashmiri tradition, arrived at the Prime Minister’s residence shortly after six. She was chaperoned by her uncle, Mr Angello Predebon.
As cine and TV cameras whirred, Mrs Gandhi gently let Rajiv in a cream sherwani, churidars and a flowing turban to the place where Sonia Maino stood. They were helped to garland each other from a golden tray.